Forgiveness
by Rothery
Summary: 'She questioned its loyalty now, hating how easily she had been played'


_**A/N: I've come back into the wonderful world of TR, hurray...I've missed it :)**_

_**I'm still a huge fan of the whole Amanda/Lara pairing, and so there are subtle hints of that in this fic.**_

_**It goes with my multi-chapter fic 'Dignified', with a more in-depth look at how Amanda started to overcome the entity's hold on her, though it can be read as a seperate piece. **_

_**I hope you like ^_^**_

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Amanda sat upon the edge of the bed, her hands fisted into the crisp sheets, trying to hold her thoughts to herself.

The Wraith Stone lay proudly besides her on the nightstand, tormenting and teasing her as it had done every day of her new life.

The entity had played her, like one would a guitar, manipulating her strings into believing that the accidental abandonment of her mother and that of Lara had been a purposeful betrayal, rejection of the worse kind.

Pulling at her emotions, spiralling them into the twisted thoughts of the creatures own, and masking them. Forcing her insecurities into the way _it_ had wanted, knowing that by playing her right she would fall so gracefully into its hands, contorting her perceptions so that everybody was to blame for actions that were of her own fault.

She questioned _its_ loyalty now, hating how easily she had been played.

The trek through the Himalayas pushing her to realise that she had been wrong, forcing herself to come to terms with what the entity had perceived as weakness.

Amanda touched her lips and remembered how they'd burnt after Lara has kissed her, as they had stood arguing in the snow, maybe it had been to shut her up, but then again maybe it had been something other than what Amanda could identify.

Years of spite and hate pulled away in one split second 'til only something akin to hope remained. Had it not been for Lara's persistence, Amanda was sure that she'd have given up and let herself fall into the pit of helpfulness and despair, willing for the bitter cold to just take her final breath.

There had been the silent helicopter ride back, Lara refusing to allow her people to take them to a hospital, and simply wanting to go home, the exhaustion the pair had felt was excruciating.

Amanda hadn't know how to respond when Lara had simply announce that she was to stay, but took the other woman's hospitality gratefully and without complaint.

Since then there had been sideways glances from the brunette, and patience from her that Amanda hadn't thought possible, knowing that Lara was not the most patient person around, but then again neither was she.

She shook her head as a deep fog settled over her mind, the Stone began to glow against the countertop, as _it_ tried to overtake her thoughts, and in the mirror she saw her eyes turn white.

She shook her head, trying desperately to keep in control of herself, she'd spent too long being the puppet, and she'd had enough.

She rapidly grasped hold of the Stone and pulled it from its place as she removed herself from the bed. She could feel its power running through her veins as she held it, hoping that she'd hold on long enough to get it outside to destroy it.

The anger and betrayal she felt now was not towards Lara but to her pet, hating the entity for turning her into nothing more that _it_ was, an angered soul, bent on hating and destroying those of others.

She held it tightly with her grasp as she walked purposefully through the halls of the Abbington Mansion, her shoulder brushing past Lara harshly as their paths crossed.

"Amanda!" Lara called after her, confusion and something akin to betrayal etching her voice, Amanda knew that Lara's thoughts had turned to the worst after seeing the bitter red and orange glow of the Stone seeping from between her fingers, but Amanda didn't stop, knowing full well that Lara was following close on her heel.

She marched though the gardens as she fought back tears, holding on to what little control she now had.

She threw it, hard against the garden wall, hoping to see it shatter, the Stone merely bouncing against the concrete as it found its way to the floor.

_It_ moved, the Stone vibrated against the pebbled path way, the light that emanated from it was captivating, but Amanda resisted its power this time, determined to see an end to what she had become, to what _it_ had made her.

She turned on her heel and made her way towards Lara, her hands flying deftly to the other woman's hips, Lara stood back, startled by Amanda's quickness, her two favourite pistols now in the hands of her rival.

With a scream, Amanda emptied both cartridges at the Stone, the bullets breaking it apart piece by piece, until silence rang out and all that was left were small fractures of tinted stone, the entity trapped in shards, defeated.

Amanda fell to her knees as her mind emptied, and the weight hanging around her shoulders dispersed like a morning fog.

The relief she felt was overwhelming and the newness of it brought her to tears.

She heard the crunch of pebbles behind her as Lara came towards her, dropping instantly to her side, her arms enveloping her in comfort and warmth.

"_I'm sorry."_

_Forgive me Lara, please?_

It wasn't much, Amanda admitted, but for that moment it was more than enough.

_I love you._

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**_ A/N: Sorry if there are any mistakes, thanks for reading and please review :)_**


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